David West resigned yesterday from the biggest US chocolate company after he grew frustrated with the heavy-handedness of the charitable Hershey Trust that controls the company, The Post has learned.

“[West] was having issues with the trust,” said a source close to the company.

He is the second CEO to leave Hershey amid rumors of tension with the trust, which owns 30 percent of the shares and 80 percent of voting control. West left to run Del Monte Foods.

West and his predecessor, Rick Lenny, wanted Hershey to aggressively expand its global presence, but the trust chose a more conservative tack, the source said.

Last year, Hershey made an unsuccessful bid for Cadbury, losing out to rival Kraft.

West took the helm in December 2007 after Lenny abruptly resigned. During West’s reign, Hershey’s stock has jumped about 25 percent compared with a 10 percent drop in the S&P 500 index during the period. Yesterday, the stock fell $1.60, or 2.8 percent, to $55.48.